Like many women who are part of the hobby, my first experiences in role-playing games (RPGs) were with groups predominantly composed of men. Although I had a blast playing with them and quickly grew to love the hobby, it wasn’t until many years later that I had a chance to run games for groups that were made up of mostly women or all-women. I was shocked by how the tone of the group seemed so different...

Are you gearing up to run a new RPG campaign this fall? Do you need to get a better handle on your long-running game? Let us help you choose the campaign management option that best suits your group’s needs and your personal prep style. Read more at Geek &...

Almost two years ago I wrote the first post for Day 8 of the 30 Days of Gamemastering Challenge. With two more campaigns under my belt, my prep style has evolved (perhaps matured?) into a method that works for me. Well, two methods really: one I call “scene-based” session prep, and the other one more resembling a “sandbox” full of toys and other plot hooks. Which one I choose...

For the first time ever, I’m running a campaign in which I am a GM and also a player. Already it’s been pushing me to be a better GM, but it also has its pitfalls. All GMs have their foibles, their bad habits and weaknesses, but recognizing them is something else entirely. It’s pretty amazing how directly comparing the same campaign as run by another person can really put your own...

It’s been over three years since I last updated my GMing manifesto. As I gear up to start a new campaign, I figured it was time to revisit it and rework it. The updated version is meant to reflect my current values and address issues I’ve had to deal with since then. Specifically, I no longer see the GMing manifesto as a series of one-sided pledges to players. The original version made it...

Triple Crit is a blog for storytellers of all sorts, be they behind the GM screen, keyboard, or character sheet. Here you can find articles and advice on campaign management, adventure design, character development, writing, and geek culture.

The author, Katrina Ostrander, is a twenty-something gamer chick, game master, and blogger working in the tabletop games industry for Fantasy Flight Games. In addition to her work as an editor of tie-in fiction, she has worked on nearly a dozen roleplaying game adventures and supplements. Her opinions are her own.